


More Than Enough

by mymidsummersunshine



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Asexual Character, Developing Relationship, M/M, Meet-Cute, a brief sultigna, so much soft, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:21:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27113927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mymidsummersunshine/pseuds/mymidsummersunshine
Summary: Matt is asexual, and Anders loves him unconditionally
Relationships: Anders Bjork/Matt Grzelcyk
Comments: 12
Kudos: 32





	More Than Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, I've been working on this one for a while, and I'm really happy with how it turned out! Especially as an ace person myself I've been wanting to write an ace Matt fic for a while, so here it is :)
> 
> Title from Parallel by Heffron Drive!

Matt shivers again while he waits in line at the concession stand. His coworker Tori had invited him to her championship softball game, and even though he knew it was late fall in New England and that it was an outdoor game, he still hadn’t been prepared for how chilly it would be. A single sweatshirt wasn’t keeping him warm enough. So a hot chocolate seemed like a good idea.

He finally makes it to the front of the line and places his order. He thanks the employee as they hand him the drink, and he turns around, only to walk straight into someone and spill the entire thing on their white coat.

Of course.

“Shit, oh my god, I am so sorry,” he says frantically, grabbing a handful of napkins off the counter to at least try and help.

“No, don’t worry about it,” the other guy says. “I’m getting this cleaned this week anyway. Here, let me buy you another one.”

“You don’t have to -”

“I want to.” The guy takes out his (thankfully not hot chocolate stained) wallet from his pocket, and his genuine smile is enough to convince Matt to let him, so they get back in line.

“I am so sorry again,” Matt says to break the awkward silence.

The guy laughs. “Really, it’s fine, don’t worry. I’m Anders, by the way.”

“Matt.”

“Nice to meet you, Matt. So, what brings you here? Do you know someone on the team?”

“Yeah, Tori, number 9? She’s my coworker, she invited me.”

“No way!” Anders’ face lights up.

“You know her?”

“Yeah, she’s, like, my best friend! We’ve known each other practically our whole lives.”

“Oh, wow. You must come to games often, then?” He cringes a bit internally at how much that came out like a pickup line, but either Anders doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.

“Yeah, I try to come when I can, and especially for the championship, I wanna be there for her, you know?”

They make it to the front of the line again, and Anders pays for the second hot chocolate. Matt tries not to blush when their fingers touch as he gives it to him.

“Come on,” he says once Matt triple checks to make sure the lid is secured this time. “There’s not really seat assignments, do you want to sit with me? I have a blanket we can put on the bleachers so it’s not so cold on your butt.”

Matt nods, he came alone and despite the less than ideal way they met, he likes talking with him. “Sure!”

It’s a close game, but the Lions pull it off in the end, with a bottom of the ninth home run from Tori’s girlfriend Christina. After the game, they manage to find Tori in the crowd, and Anders goes in for a big hug.

“Congratulations!” he says.

“Thanks!” She gives him a puzzling look when he lets go. “What the hell happened to your coat?”

Anders shrugs. “A cute guy spilled hot chocolate on me.”

Matt’s face turns bright red. _Shit, he thinks I’m cute?!_

Tori chooses that moment to notice Matt, and from the look of glee in her eyes, he knows she’s put it together already.

“Well, I hope you at least got his number,” she says to Anders, but she’s still looking at Matt. 

“Oh, I did, don’t worry,” Anders assures her, saving Matt from having to answer.

“Good,” she grins. Christina grabs her arm and drags her away to talk to another group, so she waves goodbye to the two of them and follows. Anders looks back at Matt.

“Hey, I’ve gotta run, but are you free Saturday?” he asks.

Matt nods. “Yeah, I’m free.”

“Great! There’s this really cool restaurant I like not too far from here, and I’d like to take you there, if that’s alright.”

Matt smiles. “I’d love to. But, I’m paying. You paid for my hot chocolate and I ruined your jacket.”

Anders laughs. “It’s not ruined, but deal. I’ll text you the address, we can figure out a time later?”

“Yeah, yeah, sounds good.”

“Alright, great! Nice to meet you, Matt.” 

As Anders turns and walks away, Matt finds he can’t stop smiling. Something tells him this is gonna work out okay.

—

Next Saturday, as planned, they meet up at the restaurant, and even walk around for a bit afterwards. Matt learns more about Anders’ home life, growing up in the suburbs but moving into the city for college, and then staying because he loved it so much. It’s fascinating, since he had lived in the city his whole life. They start going on more dates after that, to restaurants and movies, apple picking out in the suburbs, and they even go to the aquarium one day, where Matt finds he enjoys watching Anders watch the fish just as much as he likes watching the actual fish.

It happens after the aquarium date. Anders walks him back to the parking garage, and all the way to his car.

“This was fun,” he says, shifting his weight back and forth between his feet.

“It was,” Matt agrees as he takes his keys out of his pocket, but he doesn’t unlock the car yet. Usually the date would end here, with a “text me when you get home” or a “I’ll call you tomorrow,” but this time feels different. Anders beats him to it before he can figure out why.

“Matt?”

“Hmm?”

“Can I kiss you?” 

Matt can’t even say the question is unexpected, but it still causes his brain to short circuit. He takes a little (a lot) too long to respond, and when he finally does, he doesn’t even manage to get a whole sentence out.

“I - well, I mean - you -”

“No, no, hey, it’s okay,” Anders assures him. “It’s fine if you don’t want to. That’s why I asked.”

“You - no - hold on,” Matt’s brain finally catches up with his mouth. “Let me explain.”

He takes a breath, and Anders patiently waits for him, expression looking nothing but encouraging. He reaches for Matt’s hand.

“Nervous?” he asks.

Matt sighs. “Something like that.” He takes another breath, contemplating the best way to go about it, then decides to just come right out and say it.

“I’m ace,” he starts, not looking directly at Anders. He doesn’t want to see his reaction yet. “I don’t experience sexual attraction. I am attracted to you, but romantically, not - yeah.”

For a brief moment he feels lighter after releasing all that off his chest, but it’s quickly replaced with the fear of what Anders will say. Thankfully he doesn’t have to wait long.

“Okay,” Anders says simply.

Matt blinks. _That’s it?_ “Okay?” he asks, just to make sure, and Anders nods and rubs his thumb over the back of Matt’s hand.

“It’s okay, I promise. Thank you, I’m glad you told me. I don’t want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable.” His eyes go wide as he realizes. “You’ve been okay with everything so far, right? Because I’ll stop if you’re not.”

“Yeah, yeah, what we’ve been doing is fine, hand holding and all that, and I do want you to kiss me, I just - I don’t want anything else that might come after.”

“I don’t need anything after,” he insists, putting both of his hands on Matt’s shoulders. “You’re more than enough.”

The weight is completely lifted off of Matt’s chest now, and he can’t help but laugh a little. “Sorry,” he says in response to Anders’ amused grin. “I just - man, that’s the first time I’ve ever told anyone that. It feels good.”

“I’m glad.” His smile softens as he puts a hand on Matt’s cheek. “Now - and please tell me if I’m pushing any boundaries, but I thought you said you wanted me to kiss you, and I still want to, but I just wanted to make sure before I do -”

Matt stops his rambling by kissing him first.

—

The next weekend, Anders invites Matt to his apartment for lunch. It’s the first time either of them have visited, so Matt is a little nervous at first, but as soon as Anders opens the door and smiles at him, he instantly relaxes.

“Come in,” Anders says, moving slightly so that Matt can follow him into the small entryway, then shuts the door behind him. Matt takes off his shoes and coat before following Anders into the kitchen, where there’s a small table and two chairs in the corner, and something cooking on the stove. The kitchen opens up into the living room where Matt can see a baseball game on TV.

“What are you making?” he asks. He honestly thought they would be getting takeout.

“Just spaghetti and meatballs, if that’s alright. I figured it’s pretty easy to make, and you got it at the Italian place so I know you like it. It’s almost ready,” Anders says. He opens the lid on the pot and stirs the contents, while Matt stands awkwardly in the corner watching him. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Just water is fine, thanks.”

“Sure thing. Ice?”

“Sure.”

“You got it.” Anders puts the lid back on the pot, then fills up the glass for him, which Matt accepts with a quiet “thanks” before leaning back against the counter.

“Should just be a few more minutes,” Anders says again, standing next to him. He wraps an arm around Matt’s waist, and he doesn’t even have time to react before he takes his hand away again. “Sorry, is that okay?”

“Yeah, you’re fine,” Matt confirms, so Anders cautiously puts his hand back. Matt leans up to kiss his cheek, and Anders seems to loosen up a little, tilting his head forward to kiss him on the lips. He smiles when he pulls back.

“Just making sure.” He moves back over toward the stove and takes the lid off again. “It’s ready,” he says. “How much do you want?”

Matt moves over to stand next to him. “Holy shit, how much did you make?!” Anders had used a big pot, but Matt hadn’t realized how full it was at first. There’s at least enough for a family of six.

Anders just shrugs. “I wanted enough for leftovers. You can take some home too, if you want.” He portions out a bowl for himself, and Matt agrees to have about the same size, then they sit down at the table in the corner.

“Oh, wow, these meatballs are really good,” Matt says as he takes a bite.

Anders laughs. “I bought them frozen, I can’t take too much credit. Remind me to get you the brand when we’re done. So, how was your week?”

They continue the small talk as they eat, Matt growing more and more relaxed as it goes on. He offers to help with the dishes when they’re done, but Anders insists on doing them himself, because Matt is the guest, so he waits for him to put the leftovers away and load up the dishwasher. They make their way over to the couch, sitting on opposite sides, and continue their conversation with the baseball game on in the background. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, when the inning is over, Anders picks up the remote and mutes it.

“So, I wanted to ask you,” he starts, and Matt panics.

“Yeah?”

“Nothing bad, sorry,” he rushes out. “Just - about what you told me last week, about being ace. I just had a couple questions for you.”

“Oh. Okay, sure.” Matt had expected that to come at some point.

“I guess I just wanted to know exactly what you’re okay with in terms of, like, relationship stuff? I was doing some research, but I also know it’s different for each person -”

“Wait,” Matt interrupts him. “You did research on it?”

“Well, yeah. I had heard of it, but you’re the first ace person I’ve actually met, so I wanted to learn more. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, or cross any lines if I can avoid them.”

Matt can’t find words. “Wow.” 

“Sorry, did I go too far?”

“No! No, not at all, it’s just - you’re the first person I came out to. You hear horror stories about people who try to invalidate it, you know? So I’m just - amazed, that you actually want to put that much effort into me.” His vision starts getting blurry as he starts tearing up a little. Anders notices immediately, opening his arms for a hug, and Matt slides over to hug him back. He smiles when he feels Anders press a kiss to the top of his head.

“But, uh, to answer your question,” Matt starts, and Anders loosens his grip so he can sit up again. “Like I said, everything we’ve been doing is fine, hand holding, hugs... kisses,” he blushes a little at that last one, and Anders blushes, too. “But beyond that, it’s hard for me to say. There might be some more stuff I’d be okay with down the road like, I dunno, making out, but I just don’t know. But I also don’t want you to feel like you _can’t_ do anything, or like I’m not giving you what you need, either.” 

Anders shakes his head. “You’re definitely not making me feel like that,” he promises, “and I don’t want you to think that you are.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Relationships aren’t just about sex, Matt. If that’s not something you want, then I don’t need it, either. I’d much rather have you. You’re more than enough to me.”

Matt stares back at him speechless for probably a bit too long, before he realizes he should probably respond in words. “I - thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

Anders just pulls him back into another tight hug.

“Is this okay? The cuddling?” he asks.

“Yeah. It’s pretty nice, actually.”

“Good.”

They stay like that for a little while longer in comfortable silence, and when Matt does go home a few hours later, after Anders brings him to the door and kisses him goodbye, he finds himself laughing and singing along to every cheesy love song that comes on the radio. 

—

It becomes more natural after that, the way they fit into each other’s lives. Whether it be at one of their apartments or out in the city somewhere, they spend more and more time together, getting to know each other better as the weeks turn into months and months turn into a year. Matt’s heart soars the first time they say “I love you” to each other, on their first anniversary, and he makes sure to say it often afterwards.

For Matt’s birthday, he has a little get-together at his apartment with Anders, Tori, and a few of their other friends. They order pizza and eat cake, and Anders even brings a bottle of wine, enjoying a nice and casual evening watching movies and playing cards. Their other friends all leave when it starts getting late, so Matt brings them to the door to say goodbye, before joining Anders back in the living room on the couch, snuggling into his side and using his shoulder as a pillow.

“Hooo, boy,” Anders says as he rests his head back against the cushion and closes his eyes.

Matt looks up at him concernedly. “You alright?”

“Yeah, just probably shouldn’t have had that last glass. I’m sleeeeepy,” he draws out.

Matt can relate to that. He stopped after one glass because his eyelids were already growing heavy. “Do you need me to drive you home?” he offers anyway, but Anders shakes his head.

“No, you’re sleepy, too. It’s too dangerous.”

“Okay, yeah, you’re right.” He tries to think of another solution, because he’s not sure he’s ready for the only one his tired brain can come up with. But, they don’t really have another choice.

“Do you want to stay over here?” he asks hesitantly.

Anders opens his eyes to look at him. “You sure? I can catch a bus or something if you don’t want me to.”

“No, really,” Matt insists. “What if you fall asleep on the bus and miss your stop?”

“True. But I’m only staying if you’re sure you’re okay with it.”

“I’m sure.” 

“Then yeah, I’ll stay. Thank you. Can I go to bed now?” He closes his eyes again.

“Of course. Let me get some clean sheets, and I have some sweatpants you can change into if you want.” Anders is wearing jeans, and Matt figures those probably aren’t very comfortable to sleep in.

“Please.”

Matt stands up to get the sweatpants and an old T-shirt that’s a little too big for him but will probably fit Anders, then goes to change the sheets on the bed. Anders changes in the bathroom, then brushes his teeth with a spare toothbrush, before meeting Matt back in the bedroom. Matt’s just finishing making the bed when he hears him come back. The sweatpants are a little short on him, but Matt figures they’re both too tired to care.

“All set,” he says, and Anders smiles.

“Thank you, again. Which side do you want?”

“Oh. Uhh... you pick, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m actually gonna go clean up from dinner first.”

“Okay.” Anders wraps both arms around Matt and kisses his forehead, then lets go and climbs in the side closest to the door. He adjusts the pillows slightly before turning over to his side and closing his eyes.

“You need anything else?” Matt asks, but Anders shakes his head. “Alright. Goodnight.”

“G’night. I love you.”

Matt’s heart flutters. “I love you, too.” 

He closes the door most of the way as he leaves the room, but leaves it cracked slightly. He picks up their dishes from the coffee table to wash them and load them into the dishwasher, then sits back down on the couch. The TV isn’t on so he can already hear Anders’ soft snores coming from the bedroom. Matt considers his options for all of two seconds, before getting back up to get ready for bed. He grabs his pajamas and pillow from the bedroom as quietly as he can so he doesn’t wake Anders up, then finishes getting ready before settling in on the couch with a throw blanket. It doesn’t take long for him to fall asleep as well.

—

Matt wakes up the next morning to the sound of a cabinet slamming shut in the kitchen. He groans, then opens his eyes, taking in his surroundings in confusion. It takes him a minute to remember why he’s on the couch and not in bed, but Anders -

 _Anders_.

He stands up and goes into the kitchen to investigate. Sure enough, Anders is awake, looking through the cabinets. He looks up when he hears Matt and brushes the hair back out of his eyes.

“Morning,” he says, voice still thick with sleep. “Sorry, did I wake you up? That cabinet closed a lot faster than I was expecting.”

“Morning. You did, but it’s fine. What were you looking for? I’ll grab it.”

“Oh, sorry. I was just looking for a glass for some water.”

“Sure.” Matt opens the right cabinet and gets out a glass for him, then fills it. “Do you want coffee? Or breakfast? I don’t have much, sorry, but I have some eggs, or Cheerios.”

“Honey nut?”

“Of course, only the best.”

“That sounds great, thank you. And yes please, on the coffee.”

Matt gets the cereal and milk out for him, then gets started on the coffee. He watches as Anders fills the bowl with milk first before adding the cereal.

“You’re a milk first type of guy?” he asks, cringing internally at how awkward it sounded, but Anders just laughs, so he relaxes.

“Are you not?”

“No way, the milk splashes everywhere if you do it first.” He snorts as, right on cue, Anders pours the cereal in, and the milk splashes all over the table. He looks up at Matt guiltily, but Matt just laughs and grabs a paper towel to clean it up.

“Alright, show me how it’s done, then,” Anders says once Matt sits back down at the table. Matt takes the cereal box and carefully pours it in the bowl, then adds just enough milk to barely cover the top of the pile. He looks back up at Anders, who looks genuinely impressed.

“Wow,” he says. “I think you might have converted me. I’m gonna try that next time.”

“It helps get the right cereal to milk ratio, too,” Matt points out. The coffee pot turns off, so he stands up again to pour them each a mug. “You like milk in your coffee, right? Do you want sugar too?”

“Just milk, please.”

Matt leaves enough space in Anders’ mug, then gives it to him. Anders smiles up at him with a quiet “thanks, love,” and Matt, heart fluttering again, just kisses the top of his head before sitting back down next to him. They eat mostly in silence, save for the occasional spoon scraping against the bottom of the bowl, until Anders finishes his cereal and sets his spoon down.

“Thank you again for this,” he says.

“It’s just cereal, it’s not like I made you a five star breakfast.”

“No, I mean - well, thank you for the cereal too, but I meant for the whole thing. For letting me stay over.”

“Oh. I mean, of course, I wasn’t about to let you drive home like that.” Matt suddenly feels nervous. He obviously noticed that he hadn’t slept in the bed with him, he had to pass him on the couch to get to the kitchen, is he going to bring it up now? Is he going to think it’s weird that Matt doesn’t want to share a bed? Is he going to think he doesn’t like him? Is he -

“Matt, I can see you thinking from here,” he laughs. Matt takes a breath to steady himself, and Anders reaches for his hand. “I’m just happy and grateful. I loved spending the morning with you.”

“I did, too,” Matt says, and he means it. It’s the first time he hasn’t eaten breakfast by himself since, well, probably since he moved out of his parents’ house. He hadn’t realized how lonely it was, until Anders showed up in his life, and changed everything. It’s different for sure, but it’s nice. It’s comfortable. It’s exactly what he needed.

“I love you,” he whispers, blushing slightly, and Anders beams back at him.

“I love you, too.”

“We should do this again sometime.”

“I’d love to. I can try out the new cereal trick you showed me.”

That gets Matt to laugh. “It works wonders, trust me.” He smiles up at Anders, who squeezes his hand and smiles back. “I love you,” he says again, smiling wider.

“I love you, too.”

Once breakfast is done and they get dressed for the day, Anders heads back to his apartment, kissing Matt goodbye on his way out. If Matt immediately sits down on the couch and screams into his pillow in excitement, well, no one else is there to judge him.

—

They’re eating dinner at Anders’ apartment a few weeks later, when he asks a question Matt has been thinking about for a while, if he’s being honest. The lease on his apartment is up at the end of the month, and he knows this, and Anders knows this. It was inevitable that one of them would bring it up eventually.

“Hey, I had a question for you,” he says nervously.

“Sure,” Matt says, hoping his own anxiety isn’t too apparent. 

“What do you think about...” he sets his fork down, takes a breath, and tries again. “Do you want to move in with me?”

Matt speaks slowly to allow himself to choose his words carefully. The last thing he wants to do is offend him.

“Oh,” he starts. “I mean, I think so. I mean, yeah, I do,” he says more confidently, and truthfully. “But - is there enough space for both of us?”

“Would you rather it be the other way around? Your place is bigger, if you’d rather renew the lease there.”

“I still only have one bedroom, though.” He looks slightly to the left of Anders so as to not look him directly in the eye. Sharing a bed, and even a room, is one thing they’ve never really discussed out loud, and Matt hopes he’ll be okay with him not wanting to.

Anders nods slowly as he puts it together. “Okay. Well, what would you say about looking for a two bedroom place together?”

Matt looks down at his plate, still not wanting to look him directly in the eye. “Is that okay? Sorry, I just don’t know if I’d be comfortable with sharing.”

“Of course, don’t be sorry. I had a feeling after the night I slept at your place, and you slept on the couch, but it’s totally fine, I get it. Whatever makes you most comfortable.”

“Thank you.” Matt finally looks up to find Anders smiling at him softly, and he smiles back in return. 

They finish up dinner and move into the living room. Anders grabs his laptop and sits down right next to Matt as he opens it. Matt watches as he pulls up the Zillow website, and, _wait_.

“Wait, we’re looking right now?” he asks.

“Might as well, right?” Anders looks up at him, and he must see something in his expression because he stops. “Unless you don’t want to?”

“No, no, I-”

“You don’t have to, I won’t be offended.”

“No, I do want to. I want to move in with you. It just feels fast, I guess? Like, the decision hasn’t quite sunk in yet, and we’re already looking.”

“Oh.” Anders briefly looks back at the screen, then closes the laptop entirely and moves it off to the side. “Okay, we don’t have to look yet.”

“I mean, I know we probably should soon, these things take time and we do have a deadline and -”

“Matt.” Matt stops talking, and Anders grabs his hand. “It’s fine. It doesn’t have to be tonight.”

Matt takes a breath and nods slowly. Anders pulls Matt’s arm so his hand rests on his opposite shoulder, then wraps him up in a hug. Matt relaxes into his shoulder, smiling to himself as he realizes it won’t be long until he can have this every night. He carries that feeling with him on his drive home, all the way up the stairs and into his apartment. 

—

The actual moving in process is much more stressful than Matt remembered. It’s been a couple years since he moved in here, and he had his parents to help him with that entire process, but now, as he and Anders try to coordinate who’s bringing which furniture and dishes and appliances, and he’s shoving everything into boxes, it all comes back to him.

The day of is a whirlwind, both he and Anders are trying to unload boxes and work around the moving company helping with the furniture, and he accidentally drops a box meant for the kitchen and hears shattering as soon as it hits the ground, so he knows all those dishes are gonna have to be replaced. The TV and WiFi aren’t getting set up until later in the week, and the movers left all the furniture along the sides of the rooms to make moving around it easier, so they’re gonna have to set all that up themselves. He’s unpacking in his bedroom, and he can’t find the box with the sheets to make his bed, and all he wants to do is cry, or scream, or both. He puts his head in his hands and takes a shaky breath. 

He jumps a little when Anders knocks on the door.

“You alright?” he asks.

Matt nods. “Just stressed.”

Anders opens his arms for a hug, and Matt accepts gratefully. “Let’s take a break,” he suggests.

“But there’s still so much to do.”

“And you’re not gonna get any of it done if you’re this tense. Come on, follow me. I found my speakers, I think we deserve a little dance party.”

“Mkay.”

Anders takes Matt’s hand and leads him into the living room, where the furniture is still pushed off to the sides out of the way, leaving a large space in the floor that probably won’t ever be there again once they get everything set up. If they’re gonna dance, now’s probably the best time to do it.

Anders lets go of him only long enough to set up the speakers, then turns back to face him. “What kind of music should we do?” he asks.

“You pick.” Anders always knows how to make the best playlists, and Matt’s still too stressed to think.

“Alright. Let’s see...” he scrolls through his phone for a bit, putting together a few songs, then hits play. Matt smiles as soon as the first notes start playing.

“This was playing at the restaurant on our first date,” he says as Anders crosses the room back to him and wraps both arms around his waist.

“Yeah, I thought this was a good starting point.”

Matt wraps his arms around Anders’ shoulders, and they start swaying back and forth in rhythm. As they move, Matt can feel the tension leaving his body, and the smile on his face grows wider and wider. Their movements progress from just gentle swaying to moving all over the room, and as a slower song comes on, Matt moves his arms around Anders’ middle so he can rest his head on his shoulder instead. _This_ is what home feels like, he thinks to himself as he closes his eyes.

They stop moving when the playlist ends, and Matt lifts his head up to look Anders in the eye.

“Thank you,” he whispers.

“Any time.”

He tilts his head forward slightly, asking the question without words, and Matt meets him in the middle for the kiss.

—

Matt wakes up late the next morning, sunlight already streaming through the still unfamiliar window. He stands up and stretches, then makes his way into the kitchen to see if he can find anything for breakfast. He silently cheers when he finds the Honey Nut Cheerios in one of the cabinets, then gets the coffee pot started and sits down in the living room while he waits. The TV still hasn’t been set up yet, so he takes in the silence and looks around the room, when it hits him that this is his home now. The wall along the back is where they’ll set up the bookshelves and print out pictures to frame and put on them, the big window in the front is where they’ll set up the Christmas tree next winter. He smiles to himself. 

Before the coffee is done, Anders’ bedroom door creaks open, and he smiles sleepily at Matt.

“Morning,” he says.

“Morning. I’m making coffee, it should be done soon.”

“Oh, awesome, thanks.” Anders goes into the kitchen and comes back a few minutes later with his own bowl of Cheerios, and sits down on the couch next to Matt, with the biggest smile on his face

“What?” Matt asks.

“Nothing, nothing, it’s just, this is almost exactly like the other time we had breakfast together. Except this time I knew to put the cereal first and not the milk.”

Matt laughs softly as he makes the connection. “Oh, yeah, it really is, isn’t it?” he says. “We can have this every day now. That’s pretty lucky.”

Anders wraps an arm around his shoulder. “I can’t wait.”

—

It doesn’t take them long to settle into each other’s routines. They manage to finish unpacking everything much more quickly than Matt had anticipated, they come up with a schedule of chores and stick to it. Anders showers in the morning and Matt showers at night so they don’t get in each other’s way. They’ll cuddle on the couch most evenings, before going to sleep, and it makes Matt feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Matt’s at work one day about a month after the move when his phone lights up with a text from Anders.

_Do you need anything at target?_

_Why are you at target at 11 am on a Wednesday  
_ _But no I’m all set thanks_

 _Work needed supplies and it’s closer than staples_  
 _Also they wanted me to get snacks  
Got the company credit card and everything_ 😎

_Pls don’t buy me anything with the company credit card, I don’t want you to get fired_

_I’d use my own card for you ofc_

An email comes in from his boss, so Matt puts his phone down to look at it, and doesn’t respond.

He’s a little late getting home, he had to finish up a draft that took longer than he was expecting, but when he does, Anders is just about done cooking dinner.

“Hey,” he says, looking up from the stove to kiss Matt on the cheek. “How was work?”

“Busy. How was Target?”

Anders laughs. “It was good. Oh, that reminds me, I got you something, it’s in the bag on the couch.”

“I told you I didn’t need anything,” Matt says.

“I wanted to get it for you. My gift to you.”

Anders turns back to the stove, leaving Matt to change out of his work clothes and get the bag, which he grabs on his way to his room. He tosses it on the bed, opting to change first, then sits down to open it. It’s a pair of fuzzy socks, with black and purple and grey diamonds on them. He smiles, ripping open the packaging to put them on, before going back out into the kitchen.

Anders is finishing up putting their plates together, but looks up when he hears Matt. His face lights up when he sees him wearing the socks.

“Do you like them?” he asks, handing Matt his plate.

“I do, thank you. They’re so soft, I like the pattern, too.” He wiggles his toes.

Anders grins. “I’m glad.” 

They make their way into the living room, turning on the TV while they eat. Matt puts his feet up on the footrest, admiring the socks, when he notices something.

“Wait, these are the ace flag colors,” he points out to Anders.

“Yeah, that’s why I got them. I figured they’re subtle enough if you don’t want to be so loud about it, you know?”

Matt stares back at him, speechless. “I love you, you know that?”

“Why, because I make you dinner and buy you socks?” he laughs.

Matt laughs too. “Alright, you caught me.” He sighs before he gives the real answer. “But in all seriousness... it’s because you care about me as a person. And you still chose me, even though I can’t give you... all that.”

Anders’ face softens. “Oh, love,” he says, putting his empty plate on the coffee table so he can move over and pull Matt into a hug. “I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t need ‘all that.’ I need you, and you’re more than enough. And I’m gonna keep saying it until you believe it. I love you.”

Matt had managed to keep it together until this point, but now the tears start spilling over. He sets his plate down on his lap and leans into Anders, finding comfort in the familiarity of his touch as he rubs his hand up and down his arm.

“Look at me,” he says once he calms down after a few minutes, huffing a laugh at his own expense. “Getting emotional about a pair of socks.”

Anders laughs softly and squeezes him tighter. “Must be some nice socks.”

“They really are.”

—

September rolls around, and the weather starts staying cooler more consistently. They’re cuddled up on the couch under a blanket watching TV when Matt speaks up.

“Anders?”

“Hmm?”

Matt sighs. “I was just thinking...” he trails off, suddenly nervous. Anders rubs his shoulder in encouragement, and he continues speaking. “Coming Out Day is coming up, and I was thinking about... well, coming out.”

Anders squeezes him tighter. “We already are out, love,” he smiles. “But if you want to do something special the day of, then I’m in.”

“I’m not - that’s not what I meant.”

Anders doesn’t respond right away, so Matt looks up. He looks confused, but before Matt can explain any further, it clicks.

“You want to come out as ace,” he clarifies, and Matt nods. “Hey, you know I’m here for you. If you do or if you don’t, I’m still gonna support you either way.”

Matt shrugs. “I’m not sure yet. It’s just something I’ve been thinking about.”

“Well, let me know if I can help.”

“I will.”

Matt leans his head back down onto Anders’ shoulder, relaxing as Anders rubs his hand in circles over his arm. He smiles when he feels him press a kiss to the top of his head.

“I love you,” he whispers, and Anders kisses him again.

“I love you, too.”

—

A few days later, he brings it up again.

“I don’t know if I should do something serious, or something funny,” he says without context, hoping Anders will understand. He does.

“You could do both,” he suggests. “Like, maybe a serious post with a pun at the end to keep it light?”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

Anders reaches for his hand. “You know it doesn’t have to be anything big, right? If you don’t want it to be?”

“I know. I guess, I know I’ll feel a lot better once I do, I’m just nervous still. More than when I came out as gay. I dunno, do you have any ideas?”

“Hmm,” Anders thinks about it for a minute. “Would you want a ring?”

Matt blinks. “Are we ready for that yet? I love you, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t know if I’m ready to get married just yet.”

“Oh, I meant, like, an ace ring, the black ones on the middle finger. That’s a thing, right?”

“Ohh,” Matt says, then hides his face in his hands out of embarrassment. “That makes more sense. Yeah, that is a thing.”

“I mean, I’ll get you an engagement ring too if you want, when we’re ready.”

“Maybe someday.” He lifts his head up again. “I do like the idea of the ace ring, though.”

Anders’ face lights up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, let’s look for one.”

They find one pretty quickly and, after having to measure Matt’s hand because he forgot his ring size, place the order. It arrives a few days later.

“Hey,” Anders says when Matt gets home from work. He stands up from the couch to give him a kiss.

“Hey,” Matt smiles back at him. “How was your day?”

“It was good. I think your ring got here.”

“You think?”

“Well, it’s addressed to you, I didn’t want to open it. It’s on the table.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Matt goes into the kitchen and picks up the envelope, then carefully opens it. Sure enough, a small box is inside, and inside that is the black ring. Matt smiles and slips it on his finger. It fits perfectly.

“What do you think?” he says as he goes back into the living room, holding his hand out in front of him.

Anders looks up to see. “Oh, it’s so pretty!” He grabs Matt’s hand to take a closer look. “I like how it reflects the light, that’s really cool. And it’s a good size, not too big. Do you like it?”

Matt smiles and nods. “I love it. Thank you for the idea.”

“You’re welcome. What do you think about takeout to celebrate?”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”

—

The closer it gets to the actual day, the more nervous Matt gets. He loves the ring, he’s already started wearing it every day, and only takes it off to shower, but it still feels _just_ visible enough for him, like the socks. Most people wouldn’t know the significance of the ring, except other aces or people who have done their research like Anders had, and Matt finds he likes the subtlety of it. He says as much to Anders over breakfast the morning before.

“I just don’t know if I should come out after all,” he says after a sip of coffee. “I keep second guessing myself.”

“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t think you’re ready yet.” 

Matt sighs. “I know. And I don’t - I don’t think I am.” He already feels better saying it, like the pressure has been taken off his shoulders. “Not with something big, anyway. It’s like, I’m not ashamed of it, I think I just prefer the little ways I can show it, that might not have much significance to everyone else but still mean something to me.” He fidgets with the ring, both as an example and out of nervousness, until Anders grabs his hand and squeezes it.

“That’s okay, love. If you want it to just be between us, then let's keep it that way.”

“Okay.” Matt smiles at him, and Anders smiles back. “I might want to eventually, but not yet. I think we should still do something tomorrow, though.”

“You wanna take a picture together with the rainbow flag?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

Once they’re done with breakfast, they get dressed, then set up for a little photo shoot in the living room. They take a few pictures together so they have some to choose from, ranging from serious to funny to disgustingly cute. On the last shot, right before the phone timer goes off, Anders turns his head to kiss Matt’s cheek, so it captures his genuine happiness and surprise at the action, and that’s the shot they end up going with to post. Matt smiles not only at his reaction to the kiss, but also at the fact that he can see the ring on the hand that’s holding the flag. Subtle, but there. And to him, that’s more than enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me on tumblr @mymidsummersunshine!


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